1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image scanner, and more particular, to a batch scanning method of an image scanner for scanning a plurality of designated areas within a document.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art image scanning system 10. FIG. 2 is a top view of the platform 18 of the image scanning system 10. The image scanning system 10 comprises a scanner 12, a computer 14, and a monitor 16 with a screen 22. The scanner 12 comprises a rectangular transparent platform 18 having a front end 24, a rear end 26, a left end 28, and a right end 30 for placing documents to be scanned, and a scanning module 20 installed under the platform 18 for scanning documents placed on the platform 18. During a scanning operation, the scanner 12 will make a preview scan over the documents placed on the platform 18, and generate a preview image on the monitor screen 22. A user can designate a plurality of non-folding areas such as the areas 32, 34 and 36, on the preview image and set various scanning parameters such as resolution, contrast, highlight, shadow, scanning mode, image mode, etc. for each designated area. The image scanning system 10 will then start a normal scan over the designated areas 32, 34 and 36.
Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a prior art scanning method 38 for scanning a plurality of designated areas over the platform 18 of the image scanning system 10.
Step 40: start scanning a document; PA0 Step 42: designate at least one designated area, and set the scanning parameters of the designated area such as resolution, contrast, highlight, shadow, scanning mode, image mode, etc.; PA0 Step 44: move the scanning module 20 to the designated area; PA0 Step 46: scan the designated area; PA0 Step 48: move the scanning module 20 to the front end 24 of the platform 18; PA0 Step 50: check if there is any designated area which has not been scanned; if yes, go to step 42; PA0 Step 52: complete the scanning process. PA0 Step 56: start scanning a document; PA0 Step 58: rearrange the designated areas in a front-to-rear sequence; PA0 Step 60: set the scanning parameters according to one leading designated area in the sequence which has not been scanned; PA0 Step 62: move the scanning module 20 to the designated area; PA0 Step 64: scan the designated area; PA0 Step 66: check if there is any designated area in the sequence which has not been scanned; if yes, go to step 60; PA0 Step 68: move the scanning module 20 to the front end 24 to complete the scanning process. PA0 (1) checking if any two or more designated areas are folded along a front-to-rear direction; if yes, separating each of the folded designated areas along a left-and-right direction into at least one folding section and possibly non-folding sections if there is any, and defining all the folded folding sections as one combined section; PA0 (2) using the scanning module to scan each non-folding designated area, non-folding section and combined section one by one along the front-to-rear direction and generating a corresponding digital image for each; and PA0 (3) generating a digital image for each folded designated area from the digital images of the non-folding and combined sections of the folded designated area.
In the prior art scanning method 38, the scanning module 20 has to return to the front end 24 of the platform 18 after scanning one designated area. This method 38 is quite time-consuming.
Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another prior art scanning method 54 for scanning a plurality of designated areas over the platform 18 of the image scanning system 10.
In the prior art scanning method 54, the designated areas are arranged in a front-to-rear sequence. When scanning a rear designated area immediately following a front designated area, the scanning module 20 will be moved from the ending position of the front designated area to the starting position of the rear designated area without returning to the front end 24 of the platform 18. Such design makes the scanning method 54 much faster than the scanning method 38. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom edge of the designated area 32 is below the top edge of the designated area 34. Such condition is called the designated area 32 is folded with the designated area 34 along the front-to-rear scanning direction. After scanned the designated area 32, the scanning method 54 will make the scanning module 20 move back to the top edge of the designated area 34. Such backward movement of the scanning module 20 is quite difficult to control and will cause continuous change of the operating status of the scanning module 20 such as accelerating, decelerating, and stop. And such complicated movement control may cause the scanning module 20 to generate poor images.